‘File case against CM for false allegations’: Dr Ravi C.T.

Bengaluru: BJP MLC Dr Ravi C.T. has urged the Election Commission to suo motu initiate a complaint against those who make allegations about EVMs and electoral-roll revisions without providing evidence to substantiate their claims.

Addressing a press conference at the state BJP office, Jagannath Bhavan, Ravi referred to the Chief Minister’s allegation that attempts were being made to delete the names of 60 to 70 lakh voters belonging to a particular community from electoral rolls. He demanded that evidence be produced to support the claim and said the Chief Minister should apologise publicly if the allegation could not be substantiated.

Ravi also questioned allegations of EVM manipulation, saying that if EVMs had been hacked, the Congress would not have been able to secure a majority and form the government. He said Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had also made allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

He pointed to a discrepancy between the alleged figure of 60 to 70 lakh voters and the Election Commission’s figure of 91,000 Form-7 applications, and asked the Chief Minister to explain the difference.

‘EC must examine electoral-roll complaints’

Ravi said the Election Commission, as an autonomous constitutional body, was responsible for verifying and revising electoral rolls and should examine complaints, remove ineligible names and take action against irregularities.

He also called for confidentiality to be maintained regarding complainants and sought action against those who disclose their identities or complaint details.

Ravi alleged that the Congress had attempted to add favourable voters to electoral rolls through what he described as “mass mapping”. He said the issue came to light after the BJP filed a complaint.

He maintained that political parties could raise complaints, but the Election Commission had the responsibility of independently examining and acting on them.

BJP state spokesperson Venkatesh Dodderi, M.D. Lakshminarayan, Dattatreya and others attended the press conference.